A mother in India whose son was snatched by a leopard chased the animal down until it let go of the child, local authorities said.
The child was sitting in a hut with his family in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh when the leopard ran in and grabbed the unnamed boy on Nov. 30, authorities told CNN.
Y P Singh, field director of the Sanjay-Dubri National Park and Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh told CNN the mother’s name is Kiran Baiga and she quickly chased down the leopard while screaming.
Sanjay-Dubri has a open area where people live amongst free-roaming animals and Baiga and her family lives in the village of Badi Jhiriya, which is within this free-roaming zone.
“The lady was sitting in her hut with her children when the leopard came. It took the child and started to run away when the lady chased him, screaming, and more people showed up, so the leopard let go of the child and ran away,” Singh told CNN.
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Fortunately, the son only had minor injuries and is recovering well, Singh said.
“He wasn’t very injured but the leopard’s teeth had sunk into him. He was admitted to a hospital and he is completely fine now,” Singh added.
काल के हाथों से बच्चे को निकाल कर नया जीवन देने वाली मां को प्रणाम। प्रदेश के सीधी जिले में तेंदुए का एक किमी दूर पीछा कर मां अपने कलेजे के टुकड़े के लिए उससे भिड़ गईं। मौत से टकराने का ये साहस ममता का ही अद्भुत स्वरूप है। मां श्रीमती किरण बैगा का प्रदेशवासियों की तरफ से अभिनंदन। pic.twitter.com/46Uuc0srx0
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) November 30, 2021
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, tweeted on Tuesday to applaud the mother for chasing the animals about .62 miles in order to save him.
“This courage to face death is a striking form of motherliness. Congratulations to the mother Mrs. Kiran Baiga on behalf of the people of the state,” Chouhan tweeted.
Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda
